Hell, I cannot even begin to imagine how her fiancé must’ve felt when Nick got a hold of him. Even if her dad got her out of the facility, it would be next to impossible for her to get back together with her fiancé. Unfortunately for her, there is no going back for either one of them. Nick would sure as Hell have Adam killed, and God only knows what he would do to Julianna. Not to mention the fact it would be easy as hell to track them down. Neither one of them has any training in combat situations or knows the first thing about disappearing. They would stick out like a sore thumb to someone with the resources Nick has.
What I’m really struggling with at the moment is why I feel the need to step in at all. I’ve never meddled in anyone else’s business before, so why now? What is so different about Julianna that I can’t let this go? Let her go? I have seen some pretty intense shit go down with captive women over the years, and I have never stepped in before. Well, I have, but it was only to serve due justice to the bastards. However, I have never been so selfish as to take someone’s girl and run.
I have never been so conflicted that it consumed my every thought before. I have spent the last two weeks churning the same questions over and over in my mind, and I cannot seem to come up with any conceivable and clear cut answers. If Nick keeps her, he will eventually destroy her, but who the hell am I to consider having ownership of her? The sad fact of the matter is…I wouldn’t give her back her freedom either.
I let out a heavy sigh and rub my temples. The thought of burning all my bridges, which have taken years for me to carefully construct, and then walking away from it all, watching it self-destruct in one fell swoop has me warring with myself. Am I willing to risk everything I have ever worked for? There will be no going back for me if I choose this path, and I will be forced to forever close this chapter in my life. If I take Julianna, it’s going to cause more than just crumbled structures in my wake. I will most likely be causing an all-out war on many fronts, and signing my own death warrant.
Fear is not what’s holding me back from this decision; Julianna is. She absolutely despises me, and I’m sure that’s putting it mildly. I shot everything to Hell once I ripped her apart. I destroyed what we were beginning to create between the two of us, and every time I think back on how I had to treat her on her birthday, I cringe. Having to watch the pain and anguish in her eyes, while I crushed her spirit…it ripped my guts out.
If Julianna could get past her hate for me and find it in her heart to forgive me, then I’d have to ask myself. Is she worth all the hell that’s going to rain down on my head? It will be the equivalent of unleashing the wrath of Satan if I do. The mere fact I’m even contemplating such insanity tells me she must be worth the risk.
The constant turmoil of weighing my options is eating at my conscience like a cancer. Placing my elbow on the armrest of my seat, I lay my forehead in the palm of my hand. I know in my heart and soul I will most likely regret my decision if I don’t step in. I let out a sigh. If I decide to do this, I need to strike while the iron is hot.
Since I know Nick has left her for the evening, wanting to make her suffer for her transgressions, I have an opening. Plus, he’s not expecting me back in the middle of the night. It’s the perfect opportunity to get her out of there, when their defenses are down and everybody’s least expecting it. Is there any other way around this without causing all hell to break loose? I shake my head at the thought. No, the only option here is for me to step in and rescue her. She’s just going to have to deal with me, the lesser of the two evils, whether she hates me or not. As the airplane begins taxiing down the runway heading south, I start formulating an escape plan.
Once the plane touches down in Atlanta, I first make a run to my apartment to gather some supplies and tie up a few loose ends as I prepare to leave the rest of my life behind. Having already considered the many weapon options I have available, and since I refuse to shed blood, I choose to go with the small, lightweight, and nonlethal Taser gun.